March 16 PlanetWatch AMA recap

In this article you can find a recap of the 16th of March AMA with our CEO, Claudio Parrinello.

Main announcements

🟢 Q1 2022 batch

Last week we sent purchase emails for 900 Type 1 and 900 Type 3 devices and this week we sent an additional 2,000 purchase emails for 1,000 Type 1 and 1,000 Type 3 devices, strictly according to the waiting list order.

Up until now we covered the following Q1 2022 batch orders:
– Type 1 orders on planetwatch.io up to order number #13018
– Type 1 orders on planetwatch.us up to order number #8884
– Type 3 orders on planetwatch.io up to order number #21188
– Type 3 orders on planetwatch.us up to order number #13060

However, some people who belong to Q1 2022 might only receive their purchase emails next month, as we are still trying to recover from delays related to the pandemic and the worldwide shortage of components. We are making a big effort to catch up and procure as many sensors as possible.

🔵 New waiting list management system

We are putting in place a new waiting list management system, aimed at bringing more transparency to the process and keeping you better informed.
We will move from quarterly to monthly delivery estimates to provide a more precise view of how long you need to wait before you receive your device.

This new system will be implemented with our new Explorer interface in April and it will allow you to check:
– your order status
– your exact position in the waiting list and the month in which you can buy your sensor
– the tracking number of your order
– your invoices
– credit notes if any

To improve waiting list management and reduce waiting times we need to be able to buy large sensor stocks as soon as they become available. 
Thus, once the new waiting list management system is live (April), we will be requiring a 30% down payment on the sensor price for all orders scheduled to be fulfilled in the following three months (May-July). 
This measure will give us extra purchasing power, which is essential to keep up with demand and meet the delivery schedule.
Obviously, once your sensor becomes available for purchase, the down payment will be deducted from the purchase price and you will be asked to pay the remaining 70%.

Please bear in mind that:
– When your time comes and you receive the email requesting the 30% down payment on the sensor, if you cannot commit to it, you will lose your spot in the waiting list. 
– In case we are late by more than one month with respect to the target delivery month, you are entitled to request a full refund for the down payment. 

🟢 Type 4 licenses update

We have disclosed the procedure you must follow if you bought a Type 4 device before January 27th – which is when we paused selling Type 4 licenses – and have been unable to connect it to our network because you do not have the license.

First, we need to assess the situation and get a full picture in terms of the number of outstanding devices. That is why you are being asked to open a ticket and:
1) attach a copy of your device’s purchase order/receipt
– It must be dated between November 1st 2021 and January 27th 2022, and show the buyer’s name.
– If you already own other licenses, the email on the purchase order must match your KYC email.
2) mention which Type 4 device you own (Atmotube Pro or Awair Element)

The deadline to submit tickets with regard to Type 4 licenses is March 18th, 6pm CET.
By March 25th, after reviewing all requests, we will announce the next step.

Important disclaimers:
– Please play it fair and do not look for any shortcuts. If we find evidence of fraud (tampering with the submitted documents), you will be banned from PlanetWatch.
– Beware that for Type 4 we have attained the saturation point and the recycle bin is already empty. This means Type 4 daily rewards are now being funded only by the daily reward budget, which has to be shared across all eligible Type 4 sensors, so rewards have dropped. Refer to the White Paper for further explanations on our token model.

🔵 Network reinforcement

We are enforcing a set of rules as part of a process aimed at strengthening our ever-growing network while we get ready to take PlanetWatch to the next level and start selling scientifically valuable air quality data.

Starting this week, before issuing rewards, we will systematically check if:
– The sensor is associated with a valid license.
– The sensor’s location is set correctly to where it is deployed. 
– The account is KYC verified.

If you stop receiving rewards in the meantime, it might be because you are not compliant with these requirements. Be sure to use our new troubleshooting tool to find out what action is needed on your side. 

Q&A with Claudio

Do you plan to add further rewards on Algostake for the staking program aimed at supplying liquidity to the PLANETS/Algo pool on Tinyman? 
This program has been quite successful, so we will be adding more rewards on Algostake. One month down the line, we will reassess again.
Keep in mind we have plans for further staking options. The “Stake for the Planet” initiative, through which you stake your PLANETS directly and earn trees, is coming next.

Why is it necessary to provide Planetwatch with the seed phrase that gives access to your wallet when onboarding a sensor? Are seed phrases stored by Planetwatch?
Not at all. The wallet’s seed phrases are not provided to PlanetWatch or stored by PlanetWatch. The information is only stored temporarily on your personal device in order to initialize NFTs in your wallet and to complete the onboarding procedure. It is a local opt-in stored securely and encrypted in the app. If you wipe the apps cache or re-install the app you will see it is gone. 

Will the outdoor deployment guidelines be available anytime soon?
We have a fairly technical document and we are working to make it lighter and more understandable to non-expert people. We expect to publish it soon, sometime next month.

What is the most up-to-date info on the partnership with the city of Miami? 
We are having discussions both with the city of Miami and with Miami-Dade County, a larger regional entity. We still need to finalise the deployment plan based on their own priorities and on the availability of sensors. We will keep you posted.

Has there been any progress made in the Asian market?
If you look at the PlanetWatch map you will notice that most of our network is deployed in Europe and North America. Yet, the goal is to go truly global as fast as possible.
There are a number of opportunities emerging in Latin America and some talks in progress in Africa. As far as Asia is concerned, we already have a sizeable presence in particular in India and Thailand and the potential is huge. However, at the moment, we are more focused on the network’s consolidation before making a big move into new markets.

Keep watching our Planet and get ready to help us make it greener by staking your PLANETS! 🌍